On June 29th, the iPhone made its worldwide debut. While the iPhone has been this years most highly anticipated electronic device, a few have already begun calling into question whether the iPhone is keeping with Apple's green commitment to reduce electronic waste.

In a recent post, I talked about whether a companies approach to reducing their environmental footprint will eventually become a means by which their reputations will be measured.

While Apple launched a campaign to reduce electronic waste in 2004, with the aim to remove the worst toxic substances from electronic products, improve recycling policies, and change the way their electronic devices are designed, produced, and recycled, organizations like Greenpeace are wondering why Apple hasn't made any mention of the iPhone's green features.

From the Greenpeace posting:

Maybe it's just another case of Apple 'failing to communicate' its environmental priority? What is for sure is the iPhone appears far behind greener phones from Nokia and Sony Ericsson. That's a missed opportunity for Steve to prove his commitment to a "Greener Apple" and bad news for the planet. (We'll be investigating further so stay tuned)..

Greenpeace is promising that they will be following this matter closely.

A "test kitchen" is almost always staged at our family gatherings - its usually a lively discussion which centers around who makes the best wine or plate of pasta. There's never a shortage of testers or criticism, and plenty of vibrant discussion and excitement.

As much as recounting test kitchen stories provides enough reason to get sentimental about family celebrations, it is also a good exercise in learning how people behave when they are challenged. Debate can get heated, and the knee-jerk reaction to criticism is to take the defensive.

We see similar patterns of behavior manifested in online discussion and controversy which targets business and its people. Corporations, like people, need to detach themselves emotionally before rushing in to defend their company’s reputation.

Reacting without careful thought or strategy can often be devastating. And although it is rare to point out online examples which we can use as learning tools, I wanted to draw attention to Penelope Trunk's blog post which is a great test kitchen for transparency - no matter how hot the kitchen gets, its an inspiring feast for anyone who is interested in learning how great self-insight, transparency and interpretation prevail over even the worst circumstances.